


An Abundance of Flowers

by LadyofHeart



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Established Relationship, M/M, Valentine's Day Fluff, some corny bs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-15
Updated: 2018-02-15
Packaged: 2019-03-18 17:50:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,699
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13686732
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyofHeart/pseuds/LadyofHeart
Summary: Leo and Niles enjoy each other's company on a Nohrian holiday that may or may not be Valentine's Day. Feat. fluff and corny lines.





	An Abundance of Flowers

Leo rested his head against Niles’ chest and relaxed into his embrace. It was a rare moment of peace in the castle since the war with Valla ended, and on a day dedicated to love, no less. Though neither of them could claim to enjoy early mornings (Leo in particular) they both had woken up to have a few quiet morning hours to themselves. Now, nestled in this warmth with the nightmares and memories of war far away, they allowed themselves to relax entirely in each other’s company.

Leo sighed when he realized just how much time was slipping by them in this silence. “If we don’t leave the room soon, servants will start to talk,” he muttered, his lips brushing across Niles’ neck. Not that they had been entertaining anything scandalous, just mindless chats and roaming hands, but he knew how bored maids could get. They would invent some tall tale sooner or later.

Niles kept his hands firmly on Leo’s hip and back. “Let them talk. Gossip never did any prince much harm.” 

“Mm, but embarrassment might. I’d rather not see the look on Xander’s face if any of that chatter reached him.” He still didn’t know of their courtship, though Leo couldn’t feel too guilty. This was still a new development and Camilla and Elise only knew about it by accident. He would tell Xander when he was ready. If he was ready.

It had been towards the end of the war after Leo had a close brush with death. War tended to do that a lot, but it had been the last straw for the both of them. Leo was not going to die without telling Niles his feelings and Niles was not going to let Leo die, period. So it followed the natural course of courtship.

Niles pressed a long kiss to the top of Leo’s head before releasing him from his hold, leaving him a little more flustered than he would have liked in starting his day. Niles was already dressed for the day, leaving Leo to toss on his more proper clothes and headband with haste. Surprised to find no comment from him, he opened the door only to be met with a maid rushing by.

And then another. By the third running woman, he had enough sense to grab her arm to stop her. 

“Is something the matter?” His throat tightened at the thought of an attack from invisible enemies. It was an irrational thought that he couldn’t shake, and with the way Niles stiffened, he knew he thought it as well.

The maid must have read the distress in his face. “Nothing extremely bad, milord. Lady Camilla and Lady Elise have returned from shopping but with far more… flowers than was expected. We’re helping find a place for as many as we can since throwing them out would be such a waste.”

Leo rubbed his temples while Niles smirked. Well, at least it was nice that their only problem nowadays was an abundance of flowers. They followed the maid to the room where the flowers and the princesses were. There were far more than his eyes could handle. Red roses, yellow daffodils, blue hyacinths. There were crates and bouquets and baskets and little Elise at the center of it all, a flower crown in her hand.

Camilla looked exasperated but put on a brighter smile when she saw Leo. He approached her swiftly. “What possessed you both to purchase all of this?”

She shook her head. “It’s not all my doing, dear Leo. We were just going to buy a few down at the market, but I let Elise handle it and turned away. She got the numbers messed up and, well, here we are. We couldn’t very well return them when people were gathering all around to help bring them to the castle.”

Leo rolled his eyes. It sounded exactly like something Elise would do. “Does Xander know?”

“Not yet. I thought we should keep this quiet so as to not stress him out. It’s a day for love; it would hardly be lovely for his little siblings to mess around like this.” She looked around the room. “What should we do?”

“Leo! Niles!” Elise’s voice carried across the room. She beckoned them with a hand. “Come here!” They exchanged glances before joining at the center of the flowers.

She set aside the crown she was working on and pulled out two more from behind her. They were simple, matching in purple flowers, and she held them proudly out to the both of them. “I made these for you two! Effie and Arthur got theirs and I’m working on yours, Camilla. Go, go, take ‘em!”

She didn’t wait for them to get much closer before she tossed them onto their heads. Leo adjusted his and looked at Niles. He was much better looking in soft flowers than full battle regalia. He nudged him with his shoulder and smiled, earning a grin back.

“What do you plan to do with the rest of these?” Leo asked Elise. “There are only so many heads in this castle that can have flower crowns.”

“Well, some of them can become centerpieces. And I want to send a bunch to Sakura and the other Hoshidans! Corrin too, even though he’s far away.” Her smile morphed into a pout. “But I don’t know how I’d do that without them wilting. Do you know any magic that can help?”

Leo settled himself on the ground and leaned against a crate, Niles sliding down next to him so that their shoulders touched. Camilla took a seat on a crate across from them, eagerly waiting for Leo’s advice while her hands worked at a delicate crown of her own.

“It doesn’t sound like such hard magic,” Leo mused. “And I’m used to working with plants.” He grabbed the nearest flower and concentrated his magic. It was a simple as he thought, and after a few tests, he found he could make them more durable than normal. He showed the others how to replicate the spell, even Niles, though he was more adept with staves than tomes.

“Thank you so much!” Elise squealed, but Leo wasn’t paying attention to her. He was watching Niles concentrate on a white rose in his hand. “Leo? Leo!” His eyes snapped to her. “I totally forgot I have something else for you. It’s this thing Sakura told me about in Hoshido. Gimme me your hand. You too, Niles.”

Niles placed the rose into the pile of preserved flowers and gave her his hand with no hesitation. Leo was less obligated to be so hasty in the presence of a princess. 

“What do you want with our hands?” Leo asked.

“You make it sound as though she might chop them off,” Niles commented with a wink.

“Come on, come on. I’m not gonna do anything weird, promise. At least, it’s not weird by Hoshidan standards.”

Leo quirked an eyebrow but stretched his left hand forward. Elise pulled out a red string and tied one end to his smallest finger, and then the other end to Niles’ finger. 

“See, it’s this thing they do with couples. It’s supposed to be your fate or connection or something. If the string falls off your fingers, or if you cut it, its bad luck. But if you get through the whooole day tied together, then your relationship will prosper!” She tapped her chin. “It also has something to do with babies, but I don’t think you two will have to worry about that.”

Niles snorted. “No, probably not.”

Leo’s eyes scanned the thread that held them together. It was just the sort of sappy thing he imagined from Hoshido, though he couldn’t imagine people like Hinoka and Takumi sitting through this sort of ritual. 

“Done,” Camilla announced, holding up the most complex and beautiful flower crown Leo had ever seen.

“Who’s it for?” Elise asked.

“Xander, of course. He’s been working so hard as king that I think it would make a nice surprise. Want to come with me to show him?” She stood up from the crate.

Elise shot to her feet. “Of course! You coming, Leo?”

Once again, he was staring at Niles rather than her, but this time Niles was staring right back. “I’ll catch up in a second.”

Camilla beckoned Elise to follow her and left the two of them alone.

Leo cleared his throat and looked away, finding himself sinking into those eyes more by the second. “Sorry that our day has been preserving flowers. We can do something else later if it would please you.”

Niles shook his head. “Being by your side is all it takes to please me. Whether we’re preserving flower or lying in bed, it doesn’t matter. You’re all I need to make my day happy.”

Leo felt the tips of his ears heat up. “You’re unabashed affection is certainly your trademark, Niles.”

“But it’s all true. Every second by your side is a gift from the gods.” Niles gently cupped his face with the hand that was not connected to his and forced him to look back at him. “I don’t know any other way to put it. I live for you, and only you, Lord Leo.”

While it was tempting to cut that sentiment in half and berate him for caring for himself so little, Leo found he understood. He understood entirely what the heat in his cheeks was about and the thumping of his heart. Even around all these pastel flowers, there was nothing that caught his eye more than the man sitting next to him.

“You’ve given me so much that I could only dream of repaying that debt,” Niles continued. “I-”

“I love you,” Leo interrupted. His nerves buzzed about, as active as his magic, but he could not control the spell of love. It was the first time he uttered those words and Niles’ wide-eyed silence did nothing to calm him. “I… just needed to say that.”

Niles’ smile pierced his surprise. “I love you, too,” he whispered against his lips.

And they would say it over, and over, and over again.

**Author's Note:**

> why update a multi-chapter fic when you can do a bad one shot :,D also there might be another fic to go with this in which xander is told of their relationship and an awkard dinner between them all happens. because xander is the closest thing leo has to a father anymore and niles is a good retainer but Is He A Good BF To Baby Brother is the real question.


End file.
